Insider secrets for making the most of social media

Year after year, there’s been a substantial growth in social media activity
for consumers and businesses alike. Don’t let your company fall behind in
the race to the top of the news feed.

Check out these four simple strategies to boost productivity and ensure
you’re making the best use of your time on social media in 2018:

1. Schedule your posts.

One of the most important factors of social media management is
consistency, and sometimes it seems like there just aren’t enough hours in
the day to keep up with today’s fast-paced digital world. Scheduling your
posts in advance ensures that no matter how busy you get, you can still
provide your followers with a steady stream of fresh, new content.

On top of that, you can take advantage of sharing content at optimal times
without having to worry about pulling out your phone in the middle of a
task, meeting or lunch break.

Pro Tip:
Check out content management systems such as Buffer, HootSuite and Sprout Social to help you simplify your social media posting
schedule.

2. Stick to two or three platforms.

These days there are lots of social media networks to keep up with:
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Pinterest, YouTube, and
the list doesn’t stop there. Trying to stay relevant on every platform is
impossible.

Fortunately, best practices state that you should focus on using two or
three social media networks that are most relevantto your target
audience, rather than spreading yourself thin across a plethora of
platforms. In doing so, you’ll be able to utilize your time on social media
more efficientlyin the places that your target audience
spends the most amount of time.

With an average of 3.3 million Facebook posts and 500,000 tweets per minuteon
social media, it can be hard to keep up with your own mentions, reviews and
private messages. To avoid becoming overwhelmed when checking your
notifications each week, allow them to be sent straight to your phone in real-time. This will allow your business to easily
maintain a successful response rate, stay in the loop during a potential
crisis, and better connect with your audience.

Pro Tip:
Download the Facebook Pages appfor the easiest way to stay alert
and respond to any new activity on your business page.

4. Never stop learning.

Social media’s ever-changing environment can be difficult to navigate. As a
social media manager, it’s important to stay on top of the latest news,
trends and algorithms to ensure that you’re an expert in the industry.

As new developments roll out, it’s your jobto educate yourself on
how you can use these improvements to constantly refine your skills and
become the ever more efficient in search of better and better results.

Pro Tip:
Follow industry leaders on Twitter and LinkedIn, subscribe to relevant
newsletters and publications, and develop relationships with other social
media professionals in your community.

What are your tips for staying ahead of the curve on social media, PR Daily readers?

Hannah Lacamp is a social media specialist at PAVLOV Agency. A version of this article originally appeared on the agency’s blog.